Detroit — Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron honored priests celebrating milestone anniversaries of their ordination June 19 at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, telling them that while the archdiocese thanks them, the primary thanks goes to God.

“You have worked with all of us; we’ve been by your side and we want to pay tribute to that,” said Archbishop Vigneron to the 2014 priest jubiliarians.

The archbishop explained that three times a day, these jubilarians have said the Lord’s Prayer in morning prayer, evening prayer and at Mass, “for however many years, day in and day out. And the sentiments of this prayer are the soul of the priest’s action.”

Giving the homily at the Presbyteral Jubilee Mass that morning in the chapel of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, the archbishop said the jubliarians “have put God, and the cause of God, first.”

“Certainly it’s a wonderful thing to say thanks to these priests for their service; but we’re not here principally to thank them,” he said. “God has brought us here; he has wanted us together, so that we can give him thanks for the many years these priests have served him and his Church.”

The priests celebrating milestone anniversaries included Bishop Donald F. Hanchon, a 40-year jubilarian, and Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, who is celebrating 60 years as a priest.

Bishop Hanchon said of his 40th anniversary that “to me, it’s all of a sudden” and he did not see it coming so quickly.

“I think of the gratitude I feel for my ministry and for the people who came with it,” Bishop Hanchon said. “In all of my assignments there have been wonderful laypeople.”

Msgr. Robert Monticello, who celebrated his 63rd ordination anniversary, said one of the greatest joys a priest has “is to serve in the ministry of Christ in the sacrament of reconciliation.”

Fr. Raymond Sayers, celebrating 50 years as a priest, said he has “never had a negative assignment in my life” and cited two of his most inspiring memories as “starting a food pantry and preaching and celebrating the Eucharist.”

Fr. Sylvester Taube, who is also celebrating 50 years, said working within the marriage-assisting ministry of Retrouvaille has been “a major part of my ministry. The sacrament of marriage is extremely important to the Church.”

For Fr. William Tindall, “25 years of priesthood have gone by very quickly, but I am very grateful to God.”

His classmate, Fr. William Promesso, agreed: “When I was newly ordained and met priests of 25 years, I thought ‘Oh, 25 years!’ but I’m there now.”

Fr. Promesso said while a seminarian learns a lot about leading a parish from classes, the priest’s parishioners are “the ones who really teach you to be a priest. It is the people you encounter who form those special experiences.”